Another overnight at Upper Level Lock 6 Frankford
44°11’53.8584″N, 77°35’28.3632″W
What3Words: ///plasmas.triangular.communities

Catherine writes:

Although we don’t travel too far in a day, it is very refreshing to have a morning or two where we don’t have to get organized to get underway when the locks open. The weather was spectacular, and we were glad to be spending another day here. We will likely spend the next night here as well as rain is predicated for Thursday.

We both worked on the blog and will be glad to be caught up. At noon we walked across the bridge to the Old Bank Café in Frankford for lunch. What a charming spot! It actually is the old Molson Bank, converted into a beautiful café with an amazing outdoor patio. They even have turned the old vault into a seating area! No bags of money laying around though. It’s a great spot that we will return to tomorrow for special coffee, once the chores are done.

On the patio at the Old Bank Cafe in Frankford – what a treat!

With the fantastic weather holding, I unrolled the bolt of white vinyl I had brought with us onto a picnic table. Wally keeps coming up with new projects for me to do – Honey, can you sew this or that? Would that be too hard to do? His understanding of sewing is equivalent to my understanding of diesel engines! But with my 50-year-old Omega sewing machine that must weigh about 50 pounds, and a walking foot for thick fabric, nothing can stand in my way (sorta kinda)….except being without shore power……it’s not a treadle machine…..

Catherine working on the window coverings under the massive willow tree – definitely a “pink job” workspace area!

He’s asked for a vinyl cover for the front hatch to keep the rain off which will work better than the Sunbrella. I measured twice, cut once and used masking tape to set it in place so I think it will work.

Then I took out the bolt of Sunbrella and measured to try again (fingers crossed) to make two more covers for the smaller back windows. Masking tape was employed again to hold the fabric down in the wind, while I brushed off ants and spiders that dropped from the willow tree.

Wally came out to help me wrestle with the bolt of fabric and promptly spilled his Marguerita on the end of the picnic table, onto the Sunbrella. I’m happy to report no damage was done. The fabric is very waterproof as well as tequila proof.

Another view of the willow – it is so big that we cannot join our hands around its massive trunk

Around 5:00 pm we looked up the river to see once again the Kawartha Voyageur coming our way! Where would she park?!? We were not keen to give up our mooring spot by the willow tree! Wally went up to check things out as the lock staff were still around. The cruise ship went right into the lock well after closing time. He found out that this was a special service by Parks Canada staff. He talked to staff aboard the ship while they were locking down. The Kawartha Voyageur sold out every trip this season and are already starting to sell out cruises for the 2026 season. It is so great to see this company doing this well. It’s wonderful for Canadian business and tourism in Ontario.

Surprise visit by the Kawartha Voyageur – only a few locks on the system can handle the ship with its bow “nose” in the travelling position while going up or down while inside the lock – a treat for the passengers

The cruise ship was going to stay overnight inside Lock 5 with the lock full. From there the patrons were going to be bused to Trenton to go to the RCAF Museum. The boat would then be carrying on to Kingston. The original schedule was to pick up passengers in Kingston and continue onto the Rideau Canal system. However, water levels in the Rideau Canal are too low this time of year to guarantee enough depth for this huge ship because of lack of rain. So they plan to turn around in Kingston and come back to the Trent Severn for the next few weeks. Maybe we will see them again! They keep popping up wherever we go!

We had a late supper. Wally helped his Afghan students back in London get started in their school years via video calls. It’s an exciting and stressful time for them so he is glad to help out with the transition. We tucked in for the night with rain expected at 3:00 am. I’ll have to get that hatch cover done soon.

Bye for now!

Overnight at Upper Level Lock 6 Frankford
44°11’53.8584″N, 77°35’28.3632″W
What3Words: ///plasmas.triangular.communities

We left Trent Port Marina at 10:15 and headed to Lock 1. It was pretty neat to be starting the journey again knowing that thousands of boaters from all over North America plan for years to be taking this journey as the best part of the entire loop is right here in Ontario.

Passing Under “Gateway” Bridge to Trent-Severn Waterway

For those who are not familiar with the term “the loop” it refers to a circular journey on several of the major waterways in North America. It involves the following waterways:

• Intra Coastal Waterway (ICW) along the US eastern Atlantic Coast from Florida to New York City
• up the Hudson River and Erie Canal system to Lake Ontario
• across Lake Ontario to Trenton on the Bay of Quinte
• up the Trent-Severn Waterway to Georgian Bay
• across Georgian Bay to the North Channel and over to Lake Michigan
• down Lake Michigan to Chicago
• into the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico
• across the Gulf of Mexico to Florida

Boaters taking the entire circular journey or “Loopers” as they are often called, can start anywhere on this route and end up back where they began. Many people plan on taking over a year to complete the loop – with their route planned so that they can be in warmer regions during the winter months. Most agree that the summer’s journey through Canadian waters is the most popular and the best boating of the entire loop. I certainly would not argue with that.

I have been fortunate enough to complete a major portion of the loop – albeit in segments over several years. I travelled a good portion of Georgian Bay, the North Channel and upper Lake Michigan on Ananda and around the North Channel with my friend Chris aboard his boat TwoCan. In 2017 I travelled the ICW from Jacksonville, FL to Goderich on Lake Huron aboard Santosha. And now Catherine and I have completed the “reverse” journey of the entire Trent-Severn Waterway aboard Belisama. People have asked if it is our ambition to travel the entire loop as a single journey. We really have no interest in doing that. The very best part of the loop right here in Ontario.  That’s more than enough boating to keep us satisfied.

We have started our way back to Buckhorn but are in no particular hurry. On our trip from Trenton to Frankford we passed through 6 locks, and we were the only boat in each of the locks.

Waiting on the blue line to enter Trenton Lock 1

Parks Canada staff are now operating the locks on the fall schedule – starting operations weekdays at 10:00 am and 3:30 pm is the last lock operation for the day. In the locations where the locks are close together staff will often put you through one lock and then drive to the next lock to put you through that one also.

Trent-Severn Waterway signpost at Lock 1 – Port Severn is 384 kilometers that-a-way!

With hardly any other boaters around it’s a great opportunity to have some extended conversations with lock staff.

Approaching Highway 401 bridge over the waterway – we don’t miss that rat race!

They have some great stories to tell and have lots of local information that they gladly share. I have teased a few of them saying that we just saw your twin brother (or sister) at the last lock!

Approaching Glen Miller Dam and Lock 3

There were no other boats moored at Lock 6 in Frankford when we arrived. We had the place to ourselves and were able to tie up at the prime spot beside a massive willow tree.

Belisama moored beside massive willow tree at Frankford Lock 6

It was a beautiful day and a great start for our journey to Buckhorn. We plan to stay here for at least 2 nights and possibly 3 – depending upon the weather. Later in afternoon 2 other boats arrived for overnight stays but there’s lots of room for everyone.

A private air show as Canadian Air Force Jets do multiple area flyover exercises from nearby CFB Trenton

We also had lots of time to relax. We talked to Aunt Betty, Uncle Bud and Aunt Midge back in London and filled them in on our travels and caught up with them on what they had been up to along with the “news” from home in London.

Cheers!

Overnight at Trent Port Marina, Trenton, ON – Slip I-28
44°5’57.0012″N, 77°34’22.0944″W
What3words: ///eminent.dashed.stereotype

It’s hard to believe that it is September 1^st! Where did July and August go? Oh yes, now I remember! July and the first week of August was on the dock in Midland and then we travelled to Frankford. Midland seems so long ago and there have been many adventures since we cast off on August 8^th.

Today we planned to complete our journey from the upper end of the Trent-Severn Waterway starting in Port Severn to the lower end of the waterway in Trenton on the shores of the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario. A total of 384 kms and over 40 locks. Wow!

South Trent-Severn Waterway Area Perspective – click anywhere on the map to enlarge it

It took us three hours to travel the 12 kilometers from Frankford to Trenton. That involved about one hour of actually travelling between the locks and two hours going through the locking process.

Exiting another deep lock on the way to Trenton

Before leaving Frankford, I called ahead to Trent Port Marina at the entrance to the Trent-Severn Waterway and reserved a slip for the night. After we exited Lock 1, we continued past the marina out onto the Bay of Quinte for an hour to give Belisama’s engines some higher speed exercise.

We arrived at the marina around 2:00 pm, tied securely into our slip and then took a brief nap. We considered our options for dinner – eat in or eat out and decided to eat out to celebrate completing the full journey of the waterway.

Trent Port Marina Main Building – photo copied from their website

This was Labour Day Monday, so we were a bit surprised to learn that several nearby restaurants were closed for the day. Tiger Chicken and Ribs restaurant was within easy walking distance so we thought we would give it a try. This place was quite busy, and the food was very good.

We each had the ½ rack of ribs special served by a robot! Now that’s another first for both of us.

Food delivery robot at Tiger Chicken and Ribs

It was pretty neat to see the robot moving around the restaurant bringing trays of food to the customers. The meal was delicious, and I think I would go back just to watch the robot server in action again!

We were starting to run out of steam when we got back to the marina but decided to take advantage of the marina’s facilities before we packed it in for the night. Trent Port Marina is relatively new, and it is clearly the most modern marina we encountered on our entire trip.  The marina grounds are expansive and very well landscaped. Marina fees also include access to a nice boater’s lounge, free laundry and individual private bathrooms with showers.

This was my second time at this marina. I stopped here in 2018 on my way to Kingston and the Rideau Waterway aboard our Marine Trader “Santosha”.

Private bathroom and shower at Trent Port Marina – spotless! Photo copied from their website

The marina was only recently opened then. It looks as good today as it did in 2018. Trenton can clearly be very proud of this facility, and it gives a great impression for loopers starting out on the TSW.

Trent Port Marina Boater’s Lounge – photo copied from their website

We loaded up the “free” washing machines and took advantage of the showers. We stayed in the boater’s lounge and folded our laundry while watching the cable television. Clearly, we haven’t been missing much by not having cable TV aboard Belisama.

Tomorrow, we begin the journey back up the Trent-Severn Waterway to Buckhorn Yacht Harbour – our final destination for this season.

Cheers!

Overnight at Upper Level Frankford Lock 6
44°11’54.9240″N, 77°35’28.4964″W
What3Words: ///assemblies.abolish.avoidable

Today was a very laid-back day. We slept in and had a late breakfast.

We took advantage of having shore power. Catherine defrosted the refrigerator. I crawled around in the engine compartment studying the fuel tank selector system setup and planning some modifications to it.

It was a very pleasant afternoon with little boat traffic to ruffle the water. We decided to apply the “Belisama” decal onto the transom. We had it made in Midland way back at the end of July. It felt like an auspicious thing to do on the last day of August! We have learned over the years that we cannot do things like hang pictures together – Cath is extremely precise, and I am very casual – so I usually leave that task to her.

Catherine placing the Belisama name decal – location is critical!

We were able to work together hanging upside down over the transom and balancing on the swim platform. After much measuring and debate as well as yards of masking tape, the decal was transferred to the proper place with hardly a wrinkle and barely an argument.

Wally peeling the decal mounting tape – the big reveal!

She (Belisama, not Catherine) was finally christened! We poured a libation to Neptune off the swim platform and asked for the blessing of Belisama – the Celtic Goddess of Lakes, Rivers and Estuaries.

Belisama is named at last!

God Bless and God Speed Belisama! May we have many safe and wonderful adventures aboard you!

Overnight at Upper Level Frankford Lock 6
44°11’54.9240″N, 77°35’28.4964″W
What3Words: ///assemblies.abolish.avoidable

Mornings have been getting noticeably cooler. When we left London at then end of June, it was 41 degrees C with the humidex. I tried to tell Cath that she would need warmer clothes, but she didn’t feel the need in that moment and thought I was nuts! With recent mornings at 5 degrees, she wanted to get a couple of things to tide her over.

After a light breakfast we went to the Stedman’s department store on the main street to buy track pants and a long-sleeved top for her and gloves for both of us. We also wanted to get stocking caps but none were available as it’s a bit early. We both have hoodies so can make good use of those.

Cath popped back into the sewing store to chat with the owners and look at the fabric again. She told them that the walking foot had worked. They do a very big business in sewing machine service and repair, with machines coming from as far away as Bowmanville. It’s getting to be a bit of a lost art. There were about 30 machines lined up in on of the aisles waiting to be serviced or ready to be shipped back to their owners.  Cath commented on how unusual it is anymore to see so many high-quality fabrics in a store, beautifully displayed and with such helpful staff.

Next, we walked over to the Saturday morning farmer’s market in the parking lot behind the Town Hall and bought some veggies. The market was small but still quite busy with shoppers.

When we got back to the boat, we started getting ready to cast off and head down the river to Frankford – our next overnight destination. Before we left, I took a photo of the panels that the Chamber of Commerce had placed in front of a shipping container that was beside their building.  The exposed side of the container had custom made panels that were painted by a local artist. It was a very clever and effective disguise for a shipping container that is certainly functional but not very attractive on its own.

Local artist painted mural of local scenes on panels disguising a shipping container used for storage – very clever and effective. Tourists like me were even taking photos of it!

We really enjoyed our time in Campbellford. It was a very welcoming little town, with lots of amenities within easy walking distance, beautiful landscaping, good restaurants, fantastic YMCA, wonderful bakery and sewing shop to keep us both happy. It was somewhat reminiscent of France with the beautiful tree lined canal but without the cheese shops and baguettes.

Tree lined canal in Campbellford reminiscent of our charter boat trip on the Canal du Midi in France in 2023

Today was grandson Levi’s birthday. We called him in Kamloops, sang Happy Birthday, wished him a great year ahead and had a nice catch-up conversation. It was good to talk with him, but I wish we lived closer to our grandchildren.

We left Campbellford around noon and during our trip to Frankford we dropped a total of 130 feet through 7 locks. The largest drop was 48 feet at the double locks 12 and 11 in Ranney Falls.

Ranney Falls – waiting at the top of Lock 12 for Lock 11 to be filled

Leaving lock 12 to enter Lock 11 was pretty impressive. We were accompanied in the ride down by two people in a canoe and a lively and colourful water snake. We think the snake was a Northern Watersnake.

Lock 11 almost ready to exit with Lock 12 gates in the background

When the Trent River widened out Catherine took a turn at the helm for a few kilometers.

Catherine at the helm – note her white knuckle grip

This area is noted for the presence of lots of wildlife making their home  along the river including many turtles basking on rocks and fallen trees.

Heron patiently waiting for its lunch to swim past

We knew we were getting close to Frankford as we approached the last canal leading to Lock 6.

Canal leading to Lock 6 – canals bypassing rapids and waterfalls are thankfully very obvious and always well marked

We arrived in Frankford around 4:00 pm and moored on the wall of upper side of the lock. This was a beautiful spot with several electrical power points available for only $10 per night. We will be sure to stay here again.

Belisama’s view of the mooring basin at Lock 6

I barbequed salmon for dinner, which we enjoyed that with fresh green beans and thickly sliced beefsteak tomatoes – the best of late summer produce! We settled in and decided to stay at least one more night at this great location.

Cheers!